chesapeake bay, including washington, d.c. right now, right now this is the area you can see that is still under the snow. there are some pockets because the precipitation really has yet to increase in intensity. there are some pockets with some mixed precipitation aund warrenton. a bit of snow going on. here's what's going on for our headlines. one to two inches of snow per hour, possibly even with thunder snows. once again, this will be i hope when everybody is safe and sound and hunkered down midnight to 6:00 in the morning. this is another one of our record-producing storms that has started on a friday or saturday. veronica has more on that, too, and how much snow has fallen so far. >> that's right. a storm that's just getting going. just in its infancy with light and moderate snow across the area. we'll get the heavy snow coming down really intense with the wind picking out out of the east. check out the snowfall amounts right now.

a half inch in d.c. waldorf at an inch, probably over two. the spots up to the west up against the mountains, steven city, augusta, up into frostburg already between three and six inches of snowfall. again, we've got a long ways to go with intense rates tonight. one to three inches per hour and a forecast of 18 to 24 inches. we could slide into second or third place on record snowfalls for a season. meanwhile,hile that might sound amazing in itself, we know we've already had one storm, so this would be two record snowfalls in one season. >> yeah. that's unprecedented. we've never had two of our top-ten snowstorms here in washington occurred in one winter season. let's go back to the graphics. i wanted to show you that's the area -- there are spots getting a mixture now. might be some sleet. this is typical really of storms like this as they get going and

because we still have that boundary of some of the warm atlantic air just beginning to get in on us at the midlevels of the atmosphere. the same time, the cold air is still trying to hold forth. where those greens are, there could be a mixture. moderate snows. we'll continue to see the warning and overnight tonight. more snow and the heaviest of the snows once again midnight to about 6:00, 7:00 in the morning. this is a storm that i new england won't really leave us completely until we get into tomorrow evening. i'll tell you about that and the timeline when i join you. >> thanks, bob. we have reporters all across the area. we want to begin with pat collins. he's in gaithersburg. pat, how is it looking there now? >> well, doreen, you remember that food that you bought yesterday? this is the time of night you should be where that food is. settle down. stay inside. let the road crews do their job as the storm now begins to intensify.

look or here. 355, now in a slushy state. the sidewalk here in gaithersburg in an icy state. so what's it like out there on the roads? well, we got some firsthand information from some drivers. >> visibility bad? >> it's not so bad right now, but it's -- the roads are getting -- there's accumulation that's starting. >> getting there, huh? >> yeah. >> a little scary? >> a little. >> slipperyxd out there? >>ia yes. >> a little scary? >> very scary. >> are you going toñi make it home? >> yeah, i will. >> what's the biggest problem on the roads right now? >> people who don't know how to drive when it snows. >> are there a lot ofñi them ou there? >> i think so. i mean, i'm probably one of them. >> really? >> i would say to people, be very careful right now. there's a lot of ice on the highways. especially me. i have to be careful.

i'm on my way to manhattan, new york, right now. >> you tink yohink you'll make ? >> god is good. >> the best advice, stay home and let the road crews do their job. now at 6 cl:00, here in gaithersburg, we are measurimeasuring 3 3/4 inches. so we've gone up. we're now at 3 3/4 inches of snow here in gaithersburg. watch out. more to come, doreen. >> i like ñdq9ñ that's good advice. be where the food is right now. >> that sounds right to me. >> exactly. >> i'm going to do that real soon. >> pat collins in gaithersburg. thank you. >> we know where you live. we might just drive on by, pat. julie carey is tracking the storm down in northern virginia. julie, she's looking to be where the food is very quickly, too y would imagine. how is the weatherñi there, jul?

>> it's getting worse out here. conditions on route 123 are deteriorating. i can't tell you like pat can exactly how much snow is out there on the roadway right now, but i can tell you that there is enough that the plows that have been coming by have started to put their blades down and start to pushñr the snow off. that tells us that it's at about the two-inch mark. vdot has 1,700 pieces of equipment spread out tonight to do battle with the storm. that's what they'll keep out on the roads over the weekend. here's a look at route 123 and the traffic tonight. the driving conditions have beei deteriorating. the visibility isñi getting wor as it darkens. that's something that really worries those vdot plow drivers out there. they don't want to come up paon cars that are in trouble tonight. main roads right now. with the temperatures dropping we know that is going to ice up.

and we already found one driver today who is spinning his wheels. and he was just in a snowy gas station parking lot. >> you never know what's going to happen. now i'm trying to make it home to d.c. >> are you going to stay put? >>çó oh, yeah. stay put for the weekend. >> are you concerned about this car with the slipping and sliding? >> i wasn't at first until you saw me other there. i guess i'm a little concerned. i think i should be okay, as long as the roads are done with salt and everything. i should be okay. >> we hope he made it home safe and sound. there really is reasonñi for concern as this storm intensifies. we're hearing from virginia state police tonight who have been dealing with the impact of the storm across the commonwealth that they have handled some 557 accidents across virginia today. some 414 strandexd cars. with all those accidents, the majority of them, you know, down in southwest virginia. there also have been two fatalities today.

so, again, best advice is head for home and stay there. back to you now. >> we hear from your husband, julie, that when you get heme there's hot chocolate on the stove waiting for you. >> i'm going to warm up the car now. >> thank you, julie. the storm gave students in d.c. an early start to the weekend. students in the district were dismissed at noon today. these are children from harriet tubman elementary school. it was a hassle for their parents but the kids didn't seem to mind the early dismissal. tom sherwood has more. hi, tom. >> hi, doroon p first things first. you guys made fun of my hat. the nice viewer named diane, she says she kind of likes the hat but she thought my ears were cold so she brought me this ear muff thing to wear. as soon as i get my nerve up enough, i'm going to put it on. but let me check the mailbox here. we've got maybe a half an inch, not much down here.

the roads are certainly getting a lot more snow on them. they're very slushy. people are telling you to be careful. people around the logan circle area are heading home, shopping at all the stores. some of them have been visiting logan hardware around the corner. we thought we'd go in and we took a look. >> the salt is environmentally friendly salt and that's $17.99. >> you guys are open until 8:00? >> yes. >> and then what are you going to do? >> going to go home. >> go home. go home is what you'd like to do. the logan hardware store gave me this nice plastic bag. i offered to pay five cents to keep my notes dry, but they gave me two of them.

i'm very thankful. >> you needed notes for that, tom? >> short attention span. short attention span. >> tom, aren't you from mississippi? >> no, i'm from atlanta. >> say it again. >> i'm from atlanta. >> oh, okay. y'all know what -- >> i can't hear what you're saying. but without atlanta, georgia would be alabama. >> well, never what i said. i like what you said better. >> that was good. we want to get a check on what things are like now in prince george's county. my man derrick ward is out there struggling through this. he's in college park with more. >> hey, jim. i'm smiling this time. it was just the snow hitting me in the face that had me frowning like that. i want to give you a look at the

road conditions here. as you can see, it's no longer just wet. it is definitely slushy. cars aren't having any trouble passing, but i imagine stopping has got to be a challenge for folks. that's something to be mindful of. that gives you an idea of why they've declared this state of emergency and why people are being urged to stay off of the roads. there are still cars on route 1, but nothing like it usually is this time ofay, is time of week. and it's only going to get worse. so, you know, the best thing you can do is heed the advice that we've been giving all evening and that officials have been giving, to stay off the roads. this is another one of our non-scientific indicators of what the rate of snowfall is like. i'm going to make a foot print here in the snow. it's down to pavement. i'm going to circle it with my foot. when we come back, we'll show you how much snow has fallen and how much snow you've got in that little circle area there where my footprint was.

just another non-scientific indication of what the snow rate is like out here. this isn't even the heaviest of the storm as chuck and the weather folks have been telling you. that part is going to come a lot later and it's going to snow overnight, well into tomorrow and it's going to look very different ouhere in just a few hours. we are live in college park. now back to you. >> he is smiling this time. >> yes, he's feeling better. coming up, the snow is causing cancellations and delays at airports all over the area. we'll tell you more about that.